Plans Gone Wrong
by AnonBrowser
Summary: One-shot told from Heather's POV. Explore what she was thinking when Gwen got eliminated in TDWT and a subsequent conversation on that outcome with a saddened Cody.


**AnonBrowser is back, and he has another Total Drama one-shot! This takes place during the end of "Picnic at Hanging Dork" from season 3. Be sure to watch that episode (and preferably the first three seasons) if you haven't already before you read it. Not sure when I'll next do any multi-chapter stories. In the meantime, enjoy what follows. It's a take on what went through Heather's head around the time of that episodes' elimination.**

It sucks for us on Team Amazon to lose the challenge today in Australia. I won't deny that for a moment. If Duncan Ebert the delinquent hadn't fucked things up for us by throwing that dingo at Cody Anderson, then maybe we could've won. Oh well. One thing I'm certain of is that he's safe, and so am I. Earlier today, Gwen Cabot the goth asked me to join her and Mr. Anderson in voting off a certain teammate, namely the CIT known as Courtney Gomez. I gladly agreed to do so. Why? Because I caught Courtney making a thinly veiled attempt to throw the challenge just for a chance to get rid of Gwen by purposefully riding her emu slowly. That ruined any chances of me agreeing to join her in voting off Ms. Cabot. To be clear, the goth and I have never liked each other at all, but I won't purposefully lose just to try and vote someone off. It's too risky for my liking.

During the plane ride to wherever it is we'll head to for the next challenge, I start thinking of what to do after voting off Ms. Gomez. Part of me wants to vote off the goth, and another wants to get rid of our crazy teammate Sierra Ernst, who really needs to calm down and give Cody more space. I get that Ms. Ernst already had been a big fan of Total Drama before joining the competition, having watched each of the show's prior seasons, but her enthusiasm can go overboard. Though I've never exactly been close to Anderson, he right now happens to be the only member of Team Amazon I don't have any issues with. I'll spare him at least until the other three are gone.

To be honest, I'm not sure how far the four remaining members will get after one gets eliminated tonight. Making the finale would be quite nice. Over on Team Chris, my competition aside from Duncan is Owen Campbell the fat guy and a newcomer known as Alejandro Burromuerto. With eight players about to become seven, I should focus on staying in the game for as long as I can. While I know I'm not an easy person to get along with and I came here to win rather than make friends, having an ally would be nice once the merge arrives.

Assuming we all get to that point, my best bet for an alliance would be with either Cody (for reasons already mentioned) or Alejandro. I bring up Mr. Burromuerto because I know he has a calculated mind like me and can play the game well. The potential downside is him possibly using his strategy to get me out. Then again, he's not the only one who could opt to vote me out if given the chance. Pretty much everyone else in the game at this point hates me, even the friendly Owen who rarely holds a grudge against others and overall can get along quite easily with people. His gas can be irksome, sure, but it's hard to outright hate someone with a big heart like him. Even I have at least some respect for him whether I show it much or not.

Let me say this: I fully realize I can come off as a cunt, and it's created many conflicts with others who deem me a shitty person. At the same time, I'm not heartless, and I can be softer towards others when I sense they need it. Those moments just aren't as frequent as many people would like. Did the cameras catch me consoling a heartbroken Ms. Gomez who was sobbing after finding out Mr. Ebert cheated on her by smooching Cabot? Now that I think about it, he might've been the one who made the advance on her instead of the other way around or both planning it together in advance.

Perhaps I should talk to her about this as it's hard for me to say for certain how things went when I didn't witness it myself. Chances are that Tyler Wilmarth was the only competitor who did, as he was the one who publicly revealed his sight to the rest of us. The only other contestant who could've possibly seen it was Al, who at least suspected it and prompted Mr. Wilmarth to spill with "Tell Courtney what you know about Duncan and Gwen" and insisted he do so right then and there in the middle of a tie-breaker for our challenge in Greece.

The goth regardless is very lucky we won that day, or she inevitably would've gotten the most votes that night. I heard the delinquent technically got the most votes then (which is completely understandable), but our host Chris McLean decided to ignore the tally that night for the sake of drama and had an intern take the drop of shame instead. He got lucky again when his team lost that alien-based challenge as Tyler went home presumably for spilling their alien and making them lose. Back then, I also noticed our CIT accidentally-on-purpose trip Gwen so our team would lose, though we somehow ended up winning when our alien in a box that fell out of the goth's grip landed right in McLean's hands fully intact. Did Gomez really believe nobody would catch that? I'll be damned if Courtney gets away with anything like that again or what she did today.

After spotting the goth, I went up to her and inquired "Before we cast our votes tonight, there's something I'd like to know out of curiosity: did you initiate that kiss with a certain delinquent that Tyler saw or was it something planned together in advance?"

She seemed taken aback by this, probably not expecting it, but responded with "No; Duncan actually made an advance on me before I could stop him. The truth is that while part of me loved the feeling when our lips touched, I've felt very guilty about it since and was too caught up in my excitement to stop anything before it was too late. I'm not making excuses for it but may as well reveal the truth since you asked. It unfortunately didn't seem like many were willing to listen to how I feel before this. I must thank you for that, Heather. It means more than you know."

As much as I hate Gwen, I fully believe her answer. My instinct says she wouldn't lie about such a thing. I then said "Of course. Don't think for a moment that this makes us friends, though. I just wanted to know what really went down."

Ms. Cabot replied with "I didn't expect it to. Anyway, see you at the voting ceremony."

Presuming all goes according to plan, she could have a chance to share the truth with others if they decide to listen. We then hear Chris's assistant Chef Hatchet call out "Team Amazon, it's time for you to kick someone off!" and head over to meet him, Chris, and our other teammates, taking two of the front row seats with our CIT at my other side and Sierra and Cody in the back row. The host and his aid are close by.

Gomez leaned close to me and whispered "So…"

I cut her off to say "Definitely." as I nodded my head.

The CIT then opened her eyes with a look of worry. She asked me for reassurance "We're talking about the same thing, right?", prompting me to quietly bluff with a somewhat irritated "Yes; voting off Gwen. Definitely."

"Just checking!" Courtney added with two thumbs up.

"It's been a tough day for many of you, but one of you is about to have the worst day of all." our host told us, and continued with "Sierra, last to arrive, first to get injured. Courtney, slow with the emu, quick with the flirting. Cody, a petty feud sent you spinning all the way here. Heather, not your most focused performance, and Gwen… Duncan, really? Let the voting begin! Cody, you're up first!"

A dazed Mr. Anderson then giggles dementedly and swings his legs around and tumbles before trying to navigate his way around. He walked towards Chris, who redirected him with "Uh, that away." towards the confessional and got a "Thanks Chef" in response and then tumbled over again.

Hatchet then helped him up off-camera and guided Mr. Dizzy towards the confessional to cast his vote. He exited a couple minutes later, probably taking longer than usual because of his daze. I go next and promptly vote for Courtney by stamping her passport. The goth followed me. Then our CIT went up, who I noticed had to be dragged out by our cook as she continued to angrily stamp her vote while growling loudly. Sierra then finished things off, going a bit slow because of her broken arm and leg after taking a major fall off a cliff earlier today.

Once all the votes were cast and we had taken back our seats, Chef opened the plane door in preparation of sending a player home. Chris announced "OK, one vote for Courtney!", prompting her to frown and Ms. Cabot to smile, and they swapped expressions after hearing "One for Gwen."

This pattern continued with "A second for Courtney.", but then our goth looked scared instead of angry upon hearing "A second for Gwen." while Gomez briefly looked happy before also showing a scared face in preparation for the last vote.

"And the last vote is for…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

Sierra!"

What the hell!? Gwen let out a confused "Huh?" in response.

This was NOT supposed to happen! McLean continued with "It's a tie!", which makes Cody, Courtney, and Gwen all shout out "NO!" in dismay at the same time, with Mr. Anderson insisting "It was an accident, Gwen, I swear!" as he for some reason lightly shook Ms. Ernst, who cried upon realizing he voted for her.

Given his dizzy faze, that's not hard to believe at all.

"My favorite cop show's on via satellite in ten, so let's make this tie-breaker snappy." Chris then said, tapping his finger impatiently, then called out "Chef?"

Our cook pulled off a cloth to reveal two koala bears in a cage. The host continues with "You each have to feed a hungry baby koala bear!"

"No problem; I am a babysitting pro!" Gomez confidently responded as she walked over to the cage.

"Sure, but unlike human babies, koalas eat 2.5 pounds of eucalyptus leaves a day and these guys haven't eaten in a week, so they're nice and peckish." McLean informed us.

While walking over, the goth complained "But I'm allergic to eucalyptus!"

An apathetic Chris replied with "Rough, plus you have to do it without your hands!", prompting both girls to gasp in shock right before they're given the plates of leaves. Cabot then said aloud "Oh no." and sneezed.

"First bowl empty wins. And GO!" Chris told them.

Courtney crawled over carrying the plate in her mouth. She screams as the koala ravages her face. Gwen did the same, sneezing as she reached her koala and dropping the plate next to her koala. She also gets attacked in the process and sneezed more. The first one to finish was our CIT, who triumphantly pumped a fist in the air and proclaimed "Yes; I win!"

Behind me, I noticed Cody's eyes watering up and his lip trembling. He clearly was trying to keep from crying while the episode was still being recorded, which the camera didn't seem to catch. Chris grabbed a parachute and told the goth "Gwen, 11 o'clock! Exit's right behind you." while tossing it over to her, who replied with "Thanks. Suck it, Courtney!" and fell off while finishing with "In your face!"

The CIT looks excited as she watched the descent and listened to it, who then cheered "Yes!"

Our host signed off the episode with "If you think that was fun, you're gonna LOVE what I do to these guys next time. Right here on Total. Drama. World Tour!"

Not long after that, Cody started crying and ran off to another room. Poor guy. Quite honestly, what just happened made me feel sorry for him. He's been deeply in love with Gwen ever since I met them both at the beginning of season 1. She never at any point reciprocated his affections, instead taking an interest in the guitar player Trent Hafner, who she dated from the end of that season until early season 2. Sometime in between that breakup and the second season's reunion special, Cabot would fall for Mr. Ebert. I caught onto this and mocked her initial refusal to admit it. No luck for Anderson as she still only liked him as a friend. Being stuck in the friend zone is quite frankly no fun. I've also been friend zoned by guys I liked romantically/sexually in the past and that sucked big time. At the same time, there were also others who I simply had no interest in beyond friendship and had to tell them so.

That's not a lie or a joke. I have in fact made friends before my time on Total Drama. While many of them cut ties with me after seeing my antics on its first season, it doesn't mean I'm always bitchy. I've also had a few boyfriends in the past, all of whom I fell out of touch with before this show began. In retrospect, I have gone overboard at times and regret some things I did, but I'm not at the point where I can just stop being mean altogether. People could easily become suspicious if I did that or perhaps wouldn't recognize me. As I leave the elimination ceremony, I notice Courtney and Sierra have big smiles plastered on their faces after seeing their target gone. They might even celebrate Gwen's departure with some sort of party. Under normal circumstances, I also would take joy in Cabot getting the boot, but today wasn't supposed to be the day for that. It should've been Gomez instead.

In the meantime, Cody Anderson can't let his sadness get the better of him for too long, or that could impair his performance in the next challenge. I decided to get the guy on track. It's unlikely that either of our other teammates will be of any help. After several minutes, I found him sitting all alone and sobbing. Tears could be seen flowing down his face even with his hands covering his eyes. Comforting people isn't something I normally do, but I must make an exception here for the sake of Team Amazon so he can help us win any more team challenges, plus this is a time where I feel actual sympathy for somebody. Walking up towards the depressed one, I sat down next to him and said "Sorry that tonight's elimination didn't go the way we hoped. I truly am."

He sniffled a bit and wiped his eyes before inquiring "Hold on, I'm getting sympathy from Heather Woodley of all people? While I can't say I expected that, I sure am grateful." and placed his hands down.

Anderson's eyes were shown to be red and still watery from crying. The goth going home undoubtedly broke his heart. I responded with "Yes, you are. Trust me when I say that I can tell this combined with Gwen opting for Duncan is getting to you, but she wouldn't want you to be a depressed mess who can't focus on challenges, and neither do I. For whatever it might be worth, I also know what it's like to have unrequited love for another person. It's a really bad feeling."

"I take it you're talking about how Alejandro has focused his attention on other girls here instead of you, most recently Courtney who seems to have fallen for him given her flirting earlier. It doesn't take a genius to figure out how you have the hots for that guy. In fact, I have a feeling that most or all of the remaining contestants at least suspect that." Cody presumed.

I wasn't prepared for that, and quickly blurted "What!? I most certainly do NOT like him that way! That's crazy talk!", but I felt my cheeks involuntarily going red in the process.

"If you truly didn't, then you wouldn't be blushing so furiously right now at the mention of how you feel about Al. I also heard you mumble in your sleep a few times that you loved the guy and it seemed like he was the focus of some filthy dreams you had. Nobody could reasonably think you had no interest in him after hearing things like that." he replied and then added "You can be honest with me, Heather. No cameras are running right now. I also don't think anybody else can even hear us. This might be your only chance to get something off your chest without others taking advantage of that or mocking you for it. I promise not to exploit anything on the matter or share what you were dreaming about."

Holy fucking shit! My jaw dropped in shock and I blushed even harder. I could've died from embarrassment knowing that any other contestant was aware that I had sex dreams about Alejandro! Mr. Anderson did however have a point on recording when Chris had already signed off the episode. That gave me better privacy. I gulped and reluctantly confessed "OK fine; the truth is I am attracted to Alejandro, but I'll deny it if anyone suggests that on camera. I don't want anybody to think I let my feelings get in the way of competing. You also better not tell ANYBODY about those dreams, or I WILL go out of my way to personally ensure you get eliminated at next opportunity! As for the unrequited love bit, I was talking about times before we met where guys I liked didn't feel the same way about me, though I admit I also really don't like the idea of Al dating another girl." before taking a big breath, and then admitted "Wow, it surprisingly feels good to say that aloud without the risk of it being aired on TV or him hearing it."

To be honest, trying to keep my attraction hidden from the general public is no easy task, and it felt like a weight had been lifted upon telling someone even if people had already figured it out. Now I have a better sense of how Tyler felt when he said "Man, that's a load off!" after disclosing he witnessed the kiss between Duncan and Gwen.

"Not sure anybody will believe your denials on liking him. Either way, something told me you'd feel better after getting that out of your system." Mr. Anderson stated.

"Maybe they won't, but I'm still not ready to publicly admit it when I don't see any indication right now that he feels the same way about me." I said with some disappointment and frowned a bit. "Anyway, since we're being honest with each other, there's something I definitely can't sugarcoat; goth girl isn't likely to return your affections anytime soon and I highly doubt she ever will. That probably isn't easy for you to accept and I don't expect you to move on very easily, but it's reality even if she never liked Trent Hafner or Duncan Ebert as more than friends. Sorry Cody. While I'm not sure what exactly it is that drew the three of you towards her, there are some truths we can't evade no matter how unpleasant they sound. Still, I can tell you'd rather be friends with her than not part of each other's lives at all."

That unsurprisingly made him frown. He then asked me "Are you certain there isn't much chance I could date her even if she was single? People can still go against the odds at times, though friendship either way is indeed better than nothing."

Someone evidently is trying to give himself hope for a future with Cabot. I answered with "100% yes. You quite frankly would have a better chance of winning two lotteries. Let's face it; you did get perverted and invasive with her in the first season. At the same time, there's no denying that you learned your lesson and matured afterwards, going so far to help set her up with Mr. Hafner when sensing she liked him even though they didn't officially become a couple until the end of the season. Looking back, I do commend how you gave her respectable space after that day or at least tried to. She clearly felt grateful for that or otherwise wouldn't have let you be her friend. You were wise to wait until after things with Trent were over before trying to make any more advances. To be honest, I personally think she would've been better off giving you a chance instead of Duncan as—unlike him—you've shown yourself to be fiercely loyal and protective towards a person you love. That's her loss. I know you'd never stoop to his sleaziness. Saying that admittedly might make me sound hypocritical when I've been a major jerk in the past who often has gotten in peoples' ways and still hasn't entirely given up being mean, but I truthfully wouldn't do many of the things he has done and wish I hadn't done some of the things I did, plus I have no interest in getting arrested. Everybody could tell your primary motive to win that tie-breaker challenge in Greece was to keep her in the game. What she or Courtney ever saw in him is beyond me. I can't say Mr. Ebert has overall improved his behavior since the show first began like you have. Regarding that spat you got into with him today, you shouldn't have egged the guy on and provoked his irritation, but he really went overboard by tossing that dingo at you. Try not to do anything else like that for your own sake in the future or Duncan could do something worse. We on Team Amazon need you to focus on winning right now, not on any bitterness you feel because of the girl you like choosing someone else. Another thing to keep in mind is that nobody is entitled to dates, relationships, or sex. People either get the chance to be with a certain someone, or they don't. That includes both of us as well as everyone else on this show. I fully realize that I've just told you quite a lot, but it all needed to be said and I appreciate you listening."

Anderson took a moment to process all of that. He wiped his eyes and then told me "Sure thing. That undoubtedly was a lot. Aside from the 'better chance of winning two lotteries' bit, it overall did help, which I'm grateful for. You do have a point with focusing on winning challenges. The merge should approach soon with only seven people left in the game. May as well make the most of what remains of the team until then."

"There you go. Feel free to vote off Duncan or Sierra once the merge has arrived if we all get there. The latter is delusional for thinking she could ever be more than your friend. I wouldn't blame you for trying to get rid of that nutcase at next opportunity given her stalking and invading your personal space. She's way too possessive of you. Until then, winning is our priority." I responded with a smile, pleased that he accepted my message.

"Yeah, I kind of feel like how Charlie from Two and a Half Men did when Rose stalked him, except I haven't done anything remotely romantic or sexual with Sierra and I never will. You can bet your bottom dollar on that." said Cody.

I cringed at the mention of Rose. Now that he brings her up, she was a clingy one-night stand Charlie had, though would at one point in the show form a relationship with his brother Alan. Sierra also isn't nearly as calculated, manipulative, or vengeful as her, plus I doubt she would ever go for anyone in Cody's family.

"Consider yourself lucky she so far hasn't done nearly as much fucked up shit as Rose, though. Be grateful for that. She's like an R-rated version of Sierra in certain ways." I replied.

"True, and I by all means am grateful." he told me. "Things could definitely be much worse. In the meantime, thanks again for what you did. It means more than you know."

I then stated "You're welcome. Just remember to focus on winning for now, and then feel free to get rid of the batshit crazy stalker you have. See you around." and we shook hands before parting ways.

Once alone, I began to think about what to do as the game went on. Part of me really wants to go to the finale with Alejandro. At the same time, I'm not entirely sure I could defeat him there with how skilled he's shown himself to be. To be honest, something that really draws me to Burromuerto is how I see some of myself in the guy. We're both strategic, can dupe others to get further in the game, and are highly focused on winning. I doubt he's willing to let anything get in the way of that. Maybe I could find out after the season ends whether he reciprocates my affections for him. All I know is that trying to get involved with him now in non-platonic ways would be a bad idea when winning is the main goal.

As the antagonist of season 1, I know how a baddie can play dirty and make it far. Courtney Gomez may have picked up on some of my ways to get far when serving as the season 2 villain, or maybe was driven more by anger over how she went out in the first season with Harold McGrady rigging the votes against her. I can't say for certain. Regardless, the villain role has gone to Al this season. That was something I quickly picked up on. Leshawna Brooks didn't believe me when I tried to warn her about his ways. It led to her downfall. Chances are I'd get eliminated much sooner if trying to replicate all I did in the first season, plus I also know that there is more to the game than conning others. While I don't have to like my teammates, we do have to work together for victories. Let's hope to win next time around.

**The End. A heart-to-heart conversation Heather had with Cody has (at least partially) helped him get back on track. He's still sad over Gwen's elimination in the next episode "Sweden Sour", but that was nothing compared to what I showed here. It serves as a precursor to their friendship, or at least how Mr. Anderson was her closest thing to a friend on the show besides Alejandro. Hopefully you liked this piece.**


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